Protestantism

A main goal of the research group is to analyze and interpret Protestant tradition from the Reformation period through the 19th and 20th centuries to the current multi-religious context within a Nordic and an international context, bringing research on Norway and the Nordic countries out of isolation due to a tendency to publish results in native languages and into a broader international comparative discourse on religion, culture and society.

About the group

The group takes as its point of departure the fact that Norwegian society has been deeply influenced by Protestant religion in several respects. This influence not only is relevant for analyzing religious life but also for understanding broader sets of values, ethical standards, cultural traditions and political systems in Norway/Nordic societies. Contrary to most of traditional Norwegian research in this field, the group presupposes that Nordic Protestantism has to be investigated within an interdisciplinary and international context in order to be properly interpreted. On this basis, our research efforts have been directed toward two main periods of Nordic and European Protestantism: The Reformation period and developments since the late 19th century.